How Much Sugar Is In Your Food and Drink?

Modern life is so fast-paced that it can be difficult to keep a healthy balance of nutrients in the food you eat. Sugar is one of these nutrients, and the cells in the body would die without it.

Consuming too much sugar, however, raises the risk of several dangerous health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, increased pressure on the heart and blood vessels, and dental decay.

It is estimated that the average person in the United States consumes around 19.5 teaspoons, or 82 grams (g) of sugar, per day. That is over double the amount recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA), which is 9 teaspoons per day for men and 6 teaspoons for women.

To keep control of sugar levels, it can be helpful to know just how much sugar is in the most widely-available foods. This MNT Knowledge Center article is a one-stop resource listing the sugar content for a range of both processed and natural foods that people in the U.S. eat every day.

Fast facts on sugar content

Men should eat no more than 9 teaspoons of sugar per day and women no more than 6.

Chocolate bars, sweet cereals, and soda often contain high levels of added sugar.

Fruits contain natural sugars that are less harmful than the sugar found in processed food.

Being aware of the existing and added sugar content in foods and drinks is vital to overall health. So many products have sugar added to them that, in the modern food market, people must take extra steps to avoid consuming more than the recommended amount.

In March 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) published new guidelines recommending that adults and children reduce their intake of added sugars to less than 10 percent of their total energy intake. A further reduction to below 5 percent is associated with additional health benefits.

The term “free sugars” refers to any glucose, fructose, and sucrose added to foods and drinks, as well as the sugars that occur naturally in syrups, honey, and fruit juice. The term does not apply to the natural sugars found in fresh fruit, vegetables, or milk because there is no evidence linking these sugars to health problems.

A single teaspoon of sugar is around 4 g. The AHA recommendation for daily added sugar intake, 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men, is equal to 24 g and 36 g of added sugar, respectively.

Below are some common everyday foods and drinks, listed with their sugar content.

This aims to give guidance when making dietary choices. The sugar content of some of the following items may be higher than expected.

Chocolate bars

While there are less harmful chocolate options, such as dark or raw chocolate, there is a wide range of chocolate bars available on the market and the sugar content varies between brands and products.

Snickers bar (57 g): 5.83 teaspoons of sugar

Milky Way bar (58 g): 7.02 teaspoons of sugar

3 Musketeers bar (60 g): 8.14 teaspoons of sugar

Butterfinger bar (60 g): 5.58 teaspoons of sugar

Dove chocolate bar (37 g): 4.16 teaspoons of sugar

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar (43 g): 4.87 teaspoons of sugar

Twix bar (57 g): 5.68 teaspoons of sugar

Milk chocolate M&M’s packet (42 g): 5.68 teaspoons of sugar

Soft drinks

Drinking fizzy, sugary beverages can end up contributing most of your daily sugar intake.

Coca-Cola (one can, 330 ml): 7.25 teaspoons of sugar

Red Bull (one can): 5.35 teaspoons of sugar

Sprite (one can): 7.61 teaspoons of sugar

Old Jamaica Ginger Beer (one can): 10.18 teaspoons of sugar

A study published in Circulation, the journal of the AHA, identified a link between drinking more than one can of soda a day and an increased risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.

Breakfast cereals

In the U.S., breakfast cereals are among the most commonly consumed foods with high levels of added sugar.

The following values show the amount of sugar per 100 g serving in some of the most popular cereals.

Alpen: 4.05 teaspoons of sugar

Cheerios: 0.88 teaspoons of sugar

Corn Flakes: 1.93 teaspoons of sugar

Cocoa Krispies: 7.83 teaspoons of sugar

Froot Loops: 8.46 teaspoons of sugar

Raisin Bran: 6.35 teaspoons of sugar

Frosted Flakes: 7.12 teaspoons of sugar

Honey Smacks: 11.4 teaspoons of sugar

Rice Krispies: 2 teaspoons of sugar

Special K: 2.57 teaspoons of sugar

Wheaties: 3.08 teaspoons of sugar

Trix: 6.49 teaspoons of sugar

Lucky Charms: 7.33 teaspoons of sugar

Rice Chex: 1.62 teaspoons of sugar

Wheat Chex: 2.09 teaspoons of sugar

Corn Chex: 2.25 teaspoons of sugar

Honey Nut Cheerios: 6.67 teaspoons of sugar

Reese’s Puffs: 6.3 teaspoons of sugar

Golden Grahams: 7.1 teaspoons of sugar

Cocoa Puffs: 7.55 teaspoons of sugar

Cookie Crisp: 7.06 teaspoons of sugar

Shredded Wheat: 0 teaspoons of sugar

Cocoa Pebbles: 7.26 teaspoons of sugar

Banana Nut Crunch: 3.55 teaspoons of sugar.

In June 2012, researchers from Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity suggested that even though some cereals aimed at children had become more nutritious, cereal companies had increased their advertising spending considerably. Cereal advertising aimed at children increased by 34 percent between 2008 and 2011.

Marlene Schwartz, deputy director of the Rudd Center, said:

“While cereal companies have made small improvements to the nutrition of their child-targeted cereals, these cereals are still far worse than the products they market to adults. They have 56 percent more sugar, half as much fiber, and 50 percent more sodium.

The companies know how to make a range of good-tasting cereals that aren’t loaded with sugar and salt. Why can’t they help parents out and market these directly to children instead?”

Fruit

Fruits contain a type of sugar called fructose. Fresh fruit has no added sugar, but sugar levels range from 1 teaspoon per 100 grams in cranberries to over 3 teaspoons in grapes.

All figures below show naturally occurring sugar per 100 g serving. Keep in mind that consuming fruit is part of a healthy and well-balanced diet and that the sugar in fruit has demonstrated adverse affects on health.

Mangos: 2.77 teaspoons of sugar

Bananas: 2.48 teaspoons of sugar

Apples: 2.11 teaspoons of sugar

Pineapples: 2 teaspoons of sugar

Grapes: 3.14 teaspoons of sugar

Lemons: 0.5 teaspoons of sugar

Kiwi fruit: 1.82 teaspoons of sugar

Apricots: 1.87 teaspoons of sugar

Strawberries: 0.99 teaspoons of sugar

Raspberries: 0.9 teaspoons of sugar

Blueberries: 2.02 teaspoons of sugar

Cranberries: 0.87 teaspoons of sugar

Tomatoes: 0.53 teaspoons of sugar

To calculate the sugar content and overall nutrients of almost anything you can find in a supermarket, click here and enter the name of what you are eating or planning to buy into the search bar.